Shards
by Katastropheeeee
Summary: Shards. Broken pieces were all that was left of him now. The world he had built was crumbling. His mind was declining, descending into madness ...and there was nothing he could do about it. Except perhaps irritate Kakuzu.  Hidan.
1. Shattered

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards

Chapter One: Shattered

"Get out."

Kakuzu's words were quiet, but the underlying rage beneath hinted to Hidan that he had crossed a line. Although he was immortal, Hidan did not want to aggravate his partner any further.

Immediately, the scythe wielding ninja backed down, starting by shutting his mouth. Stepping back, Hidan made a mental note not to do that again.

Usually when Kakuzu had had enough of him, he lashed out, sometimes going as far as to physically kick him out through a wall. This time however, Kakuzu went quiet, and Hidan kept talking, kept stabbing at his old wounds.

Finally Kakuzu snapped, which was what Hidan was after, but it was not entertaining.

It was a sobering experience.

Kakuzu was finally showing a weakness, showing that he cared about something other than money – and Hidan thought that was what he wanted to get out of him. But it was just wrong. It wasn't what Hidan wanted at all.

Turning on his heel, Hidan left the room quietly. As the door clicked shut behind him, his partner's words ricocheted in his mind.

Kakuzu had never kicked him out of the room like that before – and Hidan didn't like it. It seemed as though his partner's words combined with his own shame had pushed him out – rather than a physical beating.

Shame was seeping through him, sickening him. He despised feeling ashamed for his actions, but he had done the wrong thing. Kakuzu was his partner – not a toy for Hidan to manipulate. Eventually Hidan would push him too far, and Kakuzu was break.

Hidan had pushed everyone too far.

The members Akatsuki organization had had enough of him – and it was one of the only things that all of the members agreed on.

Striding into the bathroom, Hidan slammed the door behind him.

Gripping the sides of the sink, he stared into the depths of the polished glass, searching for an answer of some description. He gazed into the mirror, and his own deep violet eyes stared back at him.

Hidan ran a hand through his silver locks; however, this action was not to fix his hair. He was frustrated, and took his frustration out on everybody, and everything.

With an exasperated cry his fist drove through the glass, reducing it to into broken shards that smashed to the floor, scattering into thousands of tiny glittering pieces. They seemed to jeer at him from their positions on the floor, incensing him even further.

Clenching his bleeding fist, he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He didn't want to spiral out of control – but he felt as though he was losing it.

It was difficult to admit, but his mind was crumbling – and he had to do something about it.

Even Jashin seemed to have forsaken him in this regard. No matter how many times he torn at his own flesh or sacrificed the blood of others to appease his master, no assistance came.

That just made him worse.

He became more paranoid by the day, desperate for control. His lack of control made him much more insubordinate than usual. His animosity towards the leader lead him to outright challenge his decisions.

Kakuzu continuously got him out of trouble, berating him for his stupidity and arrogance, and swearing that next time, he would just let the Leader slaughter him.

But, every single time, Kakuzu couldn't help but bail him out - again. Hidan sighed.

He had cut his escape rope – literally.

With Kakuzu angry at him, next time he angered the leader, he was going to have to deal with it himself.

The Leader would demand an apology.

Hidan would not give it to him.

The only person that Hidan was likely to apologize to was Kakuzu, and that usually only occurred after his head had been cut off.

Even then is was hard.

If he couldn't apologize to the Leader, he would be kicked out. They couldn't kill him – and they knew that – but they could drive him out.

Then, he would be alone.

It seemed that even his god had forsaken him.

Clutching the necklace around his neck, he glared at the insignia.

Why?

A burst of anger ran through him. The urge to tear the necklace off was strong.

Only his pride stopped him.

The immortal slumped against the wall, sliding down to the ground that was littered with the shards of glass that were still taunting him.

A single tear ran down his perfectly sculpted face. It burned down, the tips of his ears going crimson with shame.

"Fuck…"

* * *

[End Chapter One]


	2. Mutiny

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards

Chapter Two: Mutiny

Hidan woke with a start.

A groan issued from his lips when he realized where he was.

The bathroom floor was not the ideal place to sleep, especially if one had previously shattered a mirror on it.

Slumping back down to the oddly slippery floor, he noticed the dull throbbing pain in his back. Rolling over slightly, he turned his head to an obscure angle to look at his back.

Slivers of polished glass that had formerly made up the bathroom mirror had found a new purpose.

The mutinous bastards had decided to embed themselves in perfect flesh of his back as he slept.

Hidan sighed.

"Fucking hell…" he cursed under his breath. Standing, the Jashinist tilted his head to the side, grinning manically when it gave a satisfying crack.

Raking his fingers across his back, he dislodged several of the larger pieces of glass.

"Oooooh, yeah."

The rippling sensation of searing pain jumping across his synapses and alerting his brain to the apparent trauma his body was in was one of the more enjoyable parts of his day.

It _was_ what he spent most of his time working towards.

Glancing at the bloodstained floor, the violet-eyed S-Rank ninja realised that the crimson liquid was his.

Oddly enough this disturbed him.

It was time to make an exit. Hidan opened the door, stepping out into the bedroom.

Seeing his partner sprawled on the bed reminded him of why he had spent the night in the bathroom in the first place.

The Jashinist did not know what to do.

Backing up slightly, Hidan retreated into the doorframe of the mutilated bathroom.

Last night's argument had ended differently to most. Usually Kakuzu would just detach his body parts until he took whatever he had said back.

Instead, Kakuzu backed down.

If Hidan had had any sense what so ever, he would have bit his tongue when he realised that he had pushed too many of Kakuzu's buttons last night.

Unfortunately, biting his tongue was something that he was never good at.

So, he kept at it, taunting him with the new piece of information that he had found out about his partner's past, relishing in the stages of anger his victim went through.

It felt just like the good old days, when Hidan was 'normal', or at least close to what his definition of normal was.

Finally, Kakuzu cracked.

But, instead of the pain that Hidan craved, Kakuzu simply spoke.

Two words were enough to shut Hidan down.

Two fucking words.

The Jashinist sighed.

The closest person to a friend that he had was irrevocably angry with him – and Kakuzu was the kind of man to hold a grudge.

Hidan wasn't even sure an apology would cut it anymore – and apologizing was a rare thing for the immortal.

Part of him wanted to at least try, show Kakuzu that he didn't mean what he had said.

However, his pride and the part of him that still had faith in Jashin – which regrettably was a large part - point blank refused.

"_Get out."_

Kakuzu's words ricocheted in his crumbling mind, drawing out regret and shame, two emotions that he had not felt in a very long time.

That fucking idiot would be the end of him.

In his head, Hidan weighed up his options. Say in the bathroom, and not have to face a conscious Kakuzu, or go get something to eat, and possible have a showdown with his partner and breakfast.

The immortal chose the latter.

"Showdown here I come…"

The floorboard creaked.

Kakuzu sat up with a start, his unusual eyes locking on Hidan.

Immediately, the immortal cringed.

"Oh, shit..."

* * *

[EndChapterTwo]


	3. Pancakes

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards

Chapter Three: Pancakes

Hidan froze.

Kakuzu did not seem to have noticed him – yet.

What to do? What to do?

Standing incredibly awkwardly in the doorway was not doing him any favours.

However, if he stayed still, Kakuzu might not notice him, more than he already had anyway.

On second thought, the doorway was a brilliant idea.

From the dumb look in his face, Hidan surmised that Kakuzu was not actually completely awake yet – and the lack of a cold hard stare reinforced that.

So really, all he had to do was wait for him to fall asleep.

Easy.

Concentrating on staying still, Hidan wondered how much time had already passed.

Maybe a minute? Two? Three would be the ideal.

So, if Kakuzu had already been awake for three minutes, he would be close to falling asleep again, right? Or just more awake?

Hidan couldn't decide.

Sheepishly scratching his head, he decided that he would just not decide.

Smirking to himself he was happy with his conclusion - then he realized that he had moved.

"Fuck." he hissed under his breath, hastily correcting his mistake.

Glancing over at Kakuzu, he checked to see if he had been discovered.

Apparently not.

Kakuzu had not moved, his unfocused eyes staring into the distance.

The zealot counted himself lucky. It was not a pretty sight when he was angry. Kakuzu was probably furious with Hidan, and soon that wrath would be unleashed.

Probably over breakfast.

Breakfast was a welcome thought. It had been an age since he had last eaten, and today Konan was supposed to be making pancakes.

Hidan loved pancakes.

Cutting them into tiny pieces and pretending the syrup was blood and that he was sacrificing them to Jashin was one of his favourite things to do at breakfast. That and annoy Kakuzu by 'accidentally' splashing the syrup. Everywhere.

It's just not the same with cereal.

Hidan wanted his pancakes.

Everyone knew he needed at least seven to be satisfied. The way he knew the rest of the organization, they had probably eaten most of them to spite him. If there were any less then seven he was going to rage.

Seven. He didn't know why. He just knew that if he didn't get them the shit was going down.

Clenching his fist he resolved that he was going to go get his pancakes.

The immortal took a step forward – right onto the creaky plank.

"Fuck. Not again." he exclaimed, shaking his head. "Why the fuck did you go and get such bad quality flooring?" he hissed at his partner.

…then he realised who he was talking to.

A minute passed. Then another.

Kakuzu said nothing.

Furrowing his brow in concentration, Hidan tried to figure out what this meant. Either Kakuzu was just being a dick, and lulling him into a false sense of security, or he was actually asleep.

Right on cue, a snore issued from Kakuzu's lips.

Something in Hidan's mind snapped into place. A chuckle rose in his throat, the corners of his mouth turning up to make a smile. He didn't even know what he was laughing at.

That was probably the scariest part.

Furrowing his brow, Hidan shook his head. This was wrong. It was all wrong. Something was missing, and he didn't know how to get it back.

Pancakes could probably help.

Pushing aside his fears about his mental state, Hidan licked his lips. He could almost taste them.

Sanity could wait. Pancakes could not.

Kakuzu would probably maim him after breakfast, and that he supposed, was something to look forward to.

Maybe after that they could call it quits.

Unlikely.

Striding across the bad quality floor that his stingy partner had purchased, Hidan felt almost cheerful.

It was fucking weird – but he kinda liked it.

Anything was better than deranged.

Happy would do.

* * *

[EndChapterThree]


	4. Please&ThankYou

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards

Chapter Four: Please & Thank You

"Morning." grinned Hidan as he walked into the kitchen.

All activity stopped.

"What?" asked Hidan, affronted. "Would you prefer if I ran in screaming?"

More often than not, that was the case. Whether it was obscenities about Kakuzu or his irritation at not sacrificing to Jashin in the last hour, Hidan was not usually calm when he stepped into the kitchen.

"If you do I'll kill you." hissed Itachi, clearly nursing a hangover, his head against the table.

"I'd like to see you try." retorted Hidan, his anger rising.

"Stop." ordered Konan. Although he didn't want to, the immortal backed down – remembering that a. he hadn't sacrificed anyone in a while and b. he wanted pancakes.

"Hidan, would you like some pancakes?"

The zealot nodded, smoothing back his hair. "Seven please."

Konan's mouth dropped and Itachi lifted his head from the table to look at him. Deidara paused in his construction of a pancake castle.

Kisame stopped chewing, his eyes narrowed. "What's wrong with you?" he grunted.

"Nothing. Why?" asked Hidan, his brow furrowing in confusion, blissfully unaware of the confusion he was causing. The only things he wanted were his seven pancakes.

Konan shook her head, silencing Kisame with a glare.

"Katsu!" bellowed Deidara, shattering what was formerly pancake castle all over the kitchen. Cries of irritation went up all around the room.

"What is wrong with you people? It's impossible for a man to nurse an hangover in peace." exclaimed Itachi, jumping up from the table, rounding on Deidara.

Deidara shrugged. "It's a good thing I'm not hung over then…" he smirked. In exchange, Itachi shot him a murderous glare before resting his head on the table again.

"Well done!" grinned Sasori, clapping Deidara on the shoulder. "But mine is still better."

Sasori had constructed a life-size sculpture of himself. Out of pancakes.

"So how long do you expect that to last…?" asked Deidara. "Aren't the pancakes going to decompose?"

The look of horror on Sasori's face was downright hilarious, his eyes growing to the size of saucers.

"I must inject them with my elixir!" he exclaimed before running off to his workshop.

Konan, Kisame, Deidara and Hidan watched as Sasori came pelting down the corridor with a vial of clear liquid.

"This will make them last forever." he grinned, cackling maniacally.

Konan finally decided to burst his bubble. "Sasori. No."

"What? Why? You let Hidan sacrifice his pancakes to Jashin and Deidara explode his castle. Why can't I keep my monument to myself?" whined Sasori.

"Shut up." groaned Itachi, who had seen fit to sit up once again. "Do you see me playing with my pancakes?"

"You call yours Sasuke." stated Kisame flatly. "You can't talk."

Itachi paused his mouth hanging open.

"You weren't supposed to tell them that…" he hissed under his breath. Kisame simply shrugged.

Hidan chuckled. "Nice." he smirked as he sauntered over to Konan.

"Can I have my pancakes please?" he asked.

A wide-eyed Konan handed him a plate of exactly seven pancakes stacked on top of each other.

"Thank you." replied the immortal, before sitting at the table.

Staring into his pancakes, the zealot contemplated his actions. Hidan was uncertain as to why he was behaving so nicely. It was just happening naturally.

The ritualistic vampire wasn't trying to be nice.

To be honest he hadn't noticed anything different until the other members had mentioned it.

It was odd.

The immortal didn't like it, but he didn't have much of a choice.

Hidan was losing his mind – that fact becoming painfully clear to him.

The problem was that he didn't know how to stop it.

As he absentmindedly carved Jashin's symbol into his stack of pancakes, he came to a grim realization.

Perhaps happy wouldn't do.

* * *

[EndChapterFour]


	5. Snapped

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards

Chapter Five: Snapped

Golden maple syrup poured into the jagged cuts in the tall pancake structure, flowing down into the cracks, seeping into every nook and cranny of the soft pancake.

The upside down triangle that had been cut into the stack stood out against the golden brown pancakes - tainted a darker shade by the syrup.

Grinning manically, Hidan stabbed into the stack, delighting as the syrup splashed everywhere.

The Uchiha shot him a murderous glare.

The other members that were present were otherwise occupied. Konan was still making pancakes, presumably for herself and the Leader.

Kisame had left, returning to his room.

Deidara and Sasori were still bickering over the nature of art. The blond was holding a vial of clear liquid.

Hidan recognized it as Sasori's elixir, the one he had intended to use of the life size sculpture that he had made of himself.

The zealot grinned.

His use of the fluffy pancakes was so much better.

Blowing them up was all well and good, but offering them up to his god, Jashin was definitely a better option.

It also had the added benefit of pissing off Kakuzu.

But, he wasn't here. Apparently he still hadn't left the room that he shared with the zealot.

Hidan felt a cold knot form in his stomach.

It seemed that he had dealt more damage than he meant to.

The zealot really hadn't meant to upset Kakuzu that much. It was just that for the first time in weeks he had felt like his old self again.

Then he took it too far. As usual.

Hidan sighed.

Sacrificing his pancakes had lost some of their appeal. It just wasn't the same without bickering the miser about his less than sparing use of the maple syrup.

Frustration built within him.

The immortal lashed out - and swiped the plate of pancakes off the table, taking delight in the splintering noise the plate made as it hit the floor.

Itachi immediately sat up, his eyes already a swirl of black and crimson.

Hidan grinned. This was more like it.

"That's it!" exclaimed the Uchiha, his dangerous eyes locked on the ritualistic vampire.

Jumping to his feet Hidan rounded on Itachi, his scythe already in hand.

"Fuck yes." bellowed the religious fanatic, a maniacal smile playing on his lips as he stepped closer to the Uchiha.

"Hidan, no." cried Konan. "You know what will happen if the Leader finds out."

The silver haired ninja shook his head. "You know the asshole started it. It'd be an insult to Jashin to back down now."

"You just want the easy way out." smirked Itachi.

Hidan chuckled. "You're just jealous of my dashing good looks, you prick." retorted the zealot with a wide grin.

"At least I am not insane."

"You don't know the meaning of the fucking word." said Hidan, turning away from the Uchiha and lowering his scythe.

Konan was right.

The immortal couldn't risk angering the Leader. If he demanded an apology, Hidan knew that he was screwed.

Though he didn't like to admit it, he needed Kakuzu.

The Uchiha would not let up.

"Even so, I don't argue with my partner as you do. I would have left you long ago were I Kakuzu." he stated, knowingly hitting a nerve.

"What?" hissed Hidan, tightening his grip on his beloved weapon. The zealot's anger was just barely kept in check. If he had any less self-control, he would have launched himself at the Uchiha then and there.

"You don't think we heard last night?" retorted the Uchiha, a self satisfied smirk playing on his lips.

Hidan said nothing, fighting against the urge to turn around and tear the Uchiha apart.

"You don't know when to stop do you?"

Hidan finally snapped.

The immortal turned to face the Uchiha, his violet eyes barely containing his rage. The Uchiha's own eyes widened in realization.

Perhaps he caught a glimpse of the decay and instability within Hidan.

Perhaps he realised that he too had overstepped the mark.

Either way, it was too late.

Before anyone could stop him, Hidan swung his scythe, aiming for the Uchiha's throat.

It was over.

The scythe hit something hard, rebounding with a resounding clang.

"Kakuzu…" breathed Hidan.

* * *

[EndChapterFive]


	6. Delirium

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards

Chapter Six: Delirium

Panting hard, Hidan rounded on Kakuzu.

"What the fuck was that?" exclaimed the immortal angrily, before he could stop himself.

Kakuzu glared at him as his skin returned to normal, his face dark.

As usual he had not a scratch.

The Uchiha breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for Kakuzu's intervention.

Hidan on the other hand wasn't.

Retracting the whip-like cord attached to his scythe, he returned it to his hand – leveling it at his partner.

"What do you think you are doing?" hissed Kakuzu, his eyes shining with anger.

After a beat, Hidan remembered what had transpired the night before. His rage and blood lust evaporated, leaving him weary and sheepish.

Kakuzu towered above him, staring down at him.

Hidan gulped.

"Ah shit…" he muttered, the cold knot lingering in his stomach tightening. On one hand he was relieved that the miser had appeared, but on the other, he knew that his was about to be annihilated.

"Look at what you did the ceiling! If anything, you should have swung it around horizontally." the miser exclaimed, pointing at the deep gouges that the zealot had left above them.

"Hey!" exclaimed Itachi.

Kakuzu turned to face the Uchiha.

"You shouldn't have wound him up if you weren't prepared for the consequences." stated the immortal.

Itachi didn't respond.

Hidan took this opportunity to glance up at the ceiling, wondering if this was some cheap joke to catch him off guard.

Though highly unlikely, the immortal wasn't taking any chances.

If there was anyone he was remotely scared of it was Kakuzu. Mainly because he was the hardest to kill, but there was also his angry face.

It was damn creepy.

The ceiling had three deep, dark grey gouges in it, contrasting with the bland white colour of the rest of the ceiling.

Hidan's brow furrowed in confusion as he looked back down at his partner, and then again at the ceiling. "You aren't mad at me?"

Kakuzu turned to face him again, his eyes narrowed.

'Of course I am mad at you, you fool. You broke the ceiling. Do you have any idea how much that is going to cost?" asked Kakuzu, gesticulating wilding between the ceiling, the scythe and the immortal himself.

"…so you're mad?" asked the zealot, still confused

Kakuzu glared at him.

"I'll take that as a yes." grinned Hidan sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh well. You should have gotten a better quality ceiling. If its anything like those fucking floor boards in our room, I'm surprised it hasn't fallen yet."

Kakuzu's expression still hadn't changed.

"You think I am going to spend money on something you're just going to break anyway?" he asked, still glaring at the younger immortal.

"You don't even know I was going to break it." retorted Hidan.

Kakuzu rolled his eyes. "You break everything." he said flatly.

Hidan paused.

Although it may have been true, the mirror, the pancake plate and the ceiling all valid examples, Hidan still resented it.

"You know what Kakuzu? Eat a dick." snapped the zealot, before turning away. It was then, he realised that Deidara, Sasori, Konan and Itachi were still there.

"Wow…" interjected the Uchiha.

"You want to go again?" roared the immortal rounding on him. "This time Kakuzu won't be there to save you."

Kakuzu shrugged. "You can have him." he said, stepping out of the way, leaving the Uchiha entirely open to attack.

"Thank you." grinned Hidan in return, tightening his grip on his scythe.

Konan took a step forward, her forehead creased with worry.

"Hidan…"

"What…?" asked the immortal, irritated by her intervention.

"Why are you talking to yourself? You do know that Kakuzu is not here, right?" she asked gently, placing her hand on his arm

Pulling away, Hidan chuckled at her preposterous suggestion.

"What are you talking about? He's right…"

Kakuzu was gone.

It was then Hidan realised that Kakuzu wasn't actually there.

As it turns out, he never was.

* * *

[EndChapterSix]


	7. Concoctions

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards

Chapter Seven: Concoctions

"Are you alright?" asked Konan.

Hidan shook his head, searching the room frantically. "Where is Kakuzu? he asked, his confusion evident in his expression.

"Kakuzu was never here." stated the Uchiha calmly. "Your scythe hit the roof, and you promptly followed." he grinned, but Hidan ignored the quip.

There were more important things to worry about.

Like Kakuzu's disappearing act.

"That is fucking impossible. Kakuzu was just here." he exclaimed, pointing where his partner had been standing.

"I'm sorry Hidan, but there is no one there." murmured Konan softly.

The zealot stopped, taking a moment to think.

If she was right, it meant that he had begun hallucinating. The only issue was, he wasn't sure whether to not it was due to his guilt or his crumbling mind.

Neither option was that appealing.

As it was more likely that she was right, what was he going to do now?

Hidan could not admit that he might be going insane.

Enough of the members were already quite deranged, a prime example being Itachi.

Who names their pancake after their little brother? If you are going to name a pancake after anything, it has to be Jashin.

Perhaps Percy. Percy the Pancake.

Nonetheless, delusion and insanity were not necessarily good things – contrary to the popular belief within the hideout. Especially combinations of the two.

Ironically enough, seeing things that aren't there is never a good sign.

"Hidan, are you alright?" asked Konan for the second time.

This time, Hidan actually had an answer. The first half may have been a blatant lie, but it was an answer nonetheless.

"I guess I am just tired. Kakuzu made me sleep on the fucking bathroom floor."

The immortal yawned for effect.

If he was lucky, the rest of the Akatsuki wouldn't suspect a thing. People do strange things when they are tired.

Perhaps not see things that aren't there, but strange things nonetheless.

Itachi shot him a glare, before turning and sitting down at the table again - resting his forehead against it.

As far as Hidan was concerned, that meant Itachi believed him.

That, or he was just too hung-over to really care whether Hidan was telling the truth or not.

Either way, the zealot was happy.

Deidara nodded, accepting his fabricated excuse. Sasori quickly followed, then, luckily for Hidan, the two returned to their bickering.

"You know I am right." hissed Deidara under his breath.

For a moment Hidan was lost, before remembering that all these two argue about is 'the nature of art', and argue about who was 'right'.

It seemed that they were just picking up where they left off.

As long as the attention was no longer on his mental state, he was satisfied.

Sasori glared at him. "Never!" he exclaimed, before snatching the vial of elixir out of the blonde's hand.

"Aha! At last." cried the puppet master, grinning maniacally.

Hidan had all but forgotten about the vial that Sasori had been waving around about fifteen minutes ago – and that was before he had even eaten his pancakes.

Now he wanted pancakes again.

But what he wanted more than that was to see Kakuzu.

Even if he was going to get a beating when it happened, it was better than thinking he was seeing him, but actually not.

At heart, he was quite disappointed.

"Are you sure that you are alright?" asked Konan, interrupting his thoughts.

The question caught Hidan off guard.

Pulled back into the real world, the zealot wondered what could have given him away.

Some of his disappointment must have been evident on his face, he resolved, but deep down, he still not entirely convinced.

Paranoia was setting in again.

"Yes, yes I'm fine." grinned the immortal. "As I said, I am just fucking exhausted."

But that couldn't be any further from the truth.

* * *

[EndChapterSeven]


	8. Burst

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards

Chapter Eight: Burst

"It lives!" exclaimed a deep voice, with a maniacal ring to it.

It was a rather odd thing to say, standing the kitchen of the Akatsuki headquarters - that had three rather deep gouges in the roof.

Not the mention the remnants of pancake everywhere.

"What the fuck?" said the zealot, glancing over with a mild interest.

Hidan looked over to see a crazed Sasori standing over his sculpture, holding an empty vial.

The vial had previously held the elixir.

Keyword being had.

"You didn't." breathed the blonde, stepping closer to the life size sculpture of Sasori.

Sasori simply nodded, his eyes wide with awe.

Konan shot the sculpture a glance, but then returned her attention to her own pancakes.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but nothing is fucking happening." whispered the immortal through pressed lips.

Deidara glared at him from the other side of the table.

Hidan shook his head. "You are both insane." he muttered, noting the irony.

Considering that he was the one who seemed to be losing his mind, he wasn't really in a position to be pointing the finger at others.

Even though they were the ones that seemed legitimately insane.

It was quite a conundrum.

"Look. Something is happening!" exclaimed the blonde, his eyes widening further.

The sculpture began to expand, the pancake mixture bubbling on the surface, fake Sasori's face becoming unrecognizable as it got fatter and fatter.

"Is that supposed to happen?" asked Konan, looking up from her breakfast.

Hidan shrugged. "Fucked if I know."

"It looks like it's going to explode."

Itachi chose this moment to lift his head from the table. "What?" he grunted.

Seconds later, the pancake sculpture exploded, covering all four of them in the remnants of Sasori.

Hidan was quite satisfied to see Itachi cop a face full.

Though he didn't far any better.

The zealot's bare chest and face were covered in oozing pancake mixture, but his lower half remained unscathed due to being on the other side of the table.

Deidara began cackling like a maniac.

"That was brilliant." he managed to get out between fits of laughter. "Absolutely brilliant."

Sasori was in a state of shock.

"What happened?" asked Konan, fuming. Although she missed the full brunt of the blast - because Itachi got it to the face - she was not a happy chappy.

The entire kitchen was dripping with pancake mix.

The puppet was unresponsive, staring at where his sculpture had previously stood, his wooden mouth gaping open.

Deidara wasn't any better, still laughing.

A muffled expletive came from the Uchiha, before he spat out a decent mouthful of pancake mix.

Hidan allowed himself a smug grin.

"It must have affected the pancakes at a molecular level." surmised Konan, wiping off the last vestiges of pancakes mix that still clung to her.

"I was right!" exclaimed the blonde, his outburst snapping Sasori out of his trance.

The puppet turned his head to face his partner. "YOU!" he bellowed.

"What?" cried Deidara, the grin disappearing from his face.

"You did this." he said, his anger clearly etched on his face - which was a feat considering that his face was usually immobile.

Sasori stepped towards Deidara, his face dark.

"I will have revenge." he roared, his hands snapping back to reveal the pipes from which high pressure water and flames usually burst out of.

Konan stepped between the two.

"That is not happening." she hissed, her tone one of finality.

Although he didn't like it, Sasori backed down, the pipes disappearing back into his hands.

"If anyone is taking revenge it is I. Look at the damn kitchen." Konan exclaimed

Pancake mix clung everything within a two metre radius of where Sasori's sculpture had stood – which turned out to be most of the kitchen.

It oozed off of the walls, dripped from the ceiling and covered most of the floor.

The remnants of Hidan's morning sacrifice to Jashin still lay on the floor, the broken plate having scattered as it fell.

The last vestiges of the pancake castle that Deidara had built still remained.

Three chunks of the roof were also scattered around the kitchen.

In short, it was a mess.

Hidan's eyes met those of the Uchiha, and immediately knew that they were in agreeance.

The immortal sighed, seemingly defeated.

"See you later motherfuckers." he grinned, before disappearing in a burst of smoke.

* * *

[EndChapterEight]


	9. Fear

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards

Chapter Nine: Fear

The hallway was clear.

Hidan reappeared with a puff of smoke and the slightest of creaks as he landed on the crappy floorboards.

The immortal allowed himself a smug grin.

Mission accomplished.

"Fine. You two just have to do it." Konan's voice carried down the hall.

Hidan grinned as he heard Sasori and Deidara groan.

Itachi was supposed to have followed, but it seemed as though he had rematerialized elsewhere.

It wasn't like Hidan cared. At all.

Creeping towards the door, he was careful not to make a sound as the kitchen was just down the hall. He did not want to get roped in to cleaning the kitchen.

Jashin didn't endorse cleaning.

That being said, Jashin didn't endorse much more than all out massacre.

No matter how many times he had pointed this out to Konan, she thrust a mop and a bucket in his hand anyway.

Hidan hated mopping – almost as much as Kakuzu hated dry-cleaning.

The thought of Kakuzu sent guilt creeping into him. With a shallow sigh, Hidan stopped in front of the door.

Reaching out for the handle, he stopped before he could touch it.

What would Kakuzu say when he saw him?

If their positions were reversed, Hidan would attempt to inflict as much pain as he though possible on his partner.

At least, that's how bad he felt about what he had done.

Maybe in several decades they could laugh about it, however at this point in time that seemed highly unlikely.

Hidan sighed.

"Are you going to go in?" came Itachi's smug voice from the shadows.

The ritualistic maniac hesitated.

"Why the fuck would you ask that?" hissed the immortal under his breath, trying not to wake Kakuzu.

Although he was old, his hearing was pretty damn awesome.

"You hesitated." pointed out the Uchiha.

Hidan glared at him, disliking the fact that Itachi was there to see his indecision. He had to admit it was not his finest moment.

"Fuck off…" retorted the zealot, after being unable to think of a believable excuse for pausing.

At least other than the fact that he was afraid. But he wasn't about to say so.

The Uchiha would never let him live it down.

But Hidan was afraid.

Not so much of Kakuzu, but how he would react. What he would say. Whether or not he would try to kill him.

Imminent death was never a comforting thought.

The immortal hadn't had much occasion to think about death since he took it out of the equation, but now that it was a distinct possibility he was rethinking his position.

Jashin would never forgive him, especially for dying for such a pathetic reason.

Death as a result of an argument was not high on the respect ladder, right down there with accidentally blowing up or nutrient loss.

However, as much as he argued with his partner, he did respect him.

If he cared about anyone in this world, it was Kakuzu - though he would never admit it.

Ever.

Given the choice, he would prefer if Kakuzu were the one to kill him.

But not for a stupid argument, because he said something he shouldn't have. It wasn't that big of a deal. Was it?

Apologizing was so damn hard.

"Open the door." came the Uchiha's voice, cutting through his train of thought and bringing him back to the task at hand.

Hidan sighed, placing his hand on the doorknob.

Twisting it to the left, the immortal swallowed hard in an attempt to calm his nerves.

The door gave way, and swung open.

No response came.

Kakuzu did not come running to treat him with a close encounter with his hardened fist, as he had originally expected.

Actually, he didn't appear at all.

Hidan stepped into the room, searching for his partner.

Kakuzu's bed was empty, the sheets still tangled from sleep. The pillow even had an indent from where he had slept on it.

"Kakuzu?" called the immortal loudly.

Nothing.

Hidan got no response whatsoever. There was no attack, no angry outburst. Not even a 'hello', however unlikely it may have seemed.

Kakuzu was gone.

* * *

[EndChapterNine]


	10. Stained

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards

Chapter Ten: Stained

"Bastard. Fucking bastard."

Silence met his words.

Aside from the occasional creak from the bad quality floorboards courtesy of his stingy and currently absent partner, there was not a sound.

"Where the fuck are you?" hissed Hidan, rather put out by the lack of reaction.

The zealot had admitted his fear, and now as it turns out, he had nothing to really be afraid of.

It pissed him off.

Hidan had hesitated for nothing – and the Uchiha had seen it. He could feel the smugness radiating from him.

As such, Itachi would never let him forget it.

"Figures…" muttered the immortal, turning around and stepping out of the room.

Kakuzu was waiting for him.

"What the…?" started Hidan, completely baffled by his partner's appearance outside of the room, rather than inside.

Before he could react, Kakuzu punched him square in the face.

Hidan's nose broke on impact; blood spurting out and staining his otherwise flawless alabaster skin a deep red.

The zealot's head snapped back from the force that his partner used – his scythe clattering to the ground, forced out of his hand.

Agony rushed across his synapses alerting him to his pain.

Logic told him that the enhanced blow would have broken any other man's neck.

Luckily for Hidan, he wasn't exactly normal - considering that he was in fact immortal. That didn't mean that he was immune from the agony of throbbing, swollen thing his nose had become.

"Fuck!" exclaimed Hidan, his anger bubbling up the surface.

Pain shot through his face.

Yelling was a bad idea, especially considering the fact that he had a broken nose. It wasn't exclusive from the rest of his face, and when he opened his mouth, it moved too.

Hidan was mortified. His own blood slicked his fingers, and dripped down his face – and it hurt.

The worst part was the fact that he wasn't sharing it with anyone.

Drinking in someone else's pain at the same time was all well and good. He enjoyed it.

Yes, he was indeed a masochist.

Pain was a somewhat foreign concept to him now. Never had it been this intense.

"What the fuck was that for?" whined the zealot as he straightened.

Kakuzu said nothing.

Before he could even register the movement, the miser's hardened fist approached his face.

Pulling his head back, he attempted to dodge, but he knew it was too late.

This time the miser clipped him on the jaw.

A sharp snap echoed in his head, his thoughts momentarily becoming blurred and incoherent even to him.

Short sharp flashes of memory flashed through his mind as the ground came to meet him.

Excruciating pain spiked up his jaw on impact.

Mentally he cursed.

Naturally, he had to land face first - on his most probably broken jaw.

The pain tore through his brain, dislodging any sanity that may have remained.

There wasn't all that much left these days.

Enough brain function remained to inform him of the face that his scythe was right next to him.

Perfect.

Wrapping his fingers around his weapon, the immortal chuckled.

Pushing himself to his feet, Hidan spat out the stifling blood that had filled his mouth.

The bright liquid stood out against the dull wood of the bad quality flooring, unsettling the immortal a bit more than he cared to admit.

Hidan was not supposed to bleed.

Circumstances were usually reversed. He dealt out the damage and the euphoric spikes of pain coursed through him.

This was different.

The pain was sharp and fresh, throbbing through him.

Something was not quite right.

Nonetheless, Hidan straightened, resolving that this time he would be ready for the next blow.

The zealot would not go down without inflicting as much damage as he could on his murderous partner.

Tightening his grip on his scythe, he grinned maniacally.

"Care to try again, asshole?"

* * *

[EndChapterTen]


	11. Imposter

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards:

Chapter Eleven: Imposter

"Come on you bastard." shrieked Hidan, goading his partner.

Blood was dripping from his mouth and nose, as well as from the multitude of small cuts where the skin had broken from the sheer force of the miser's attacks.

Kakuzu didn't even seem to be trying.

The prick had said nothing, lashing out at Hidan without provocation.

Reinforced blows rained down on the zealot's body, cracking bones and breaking skin.

Hidan refused to stay down, although he had lost his beloved scythe.

Although the pain was excruciating, he always got back up.

The zealot refused accept that Kakuzu was stronger than him. He just had the element of surprise.

Kakuzu had hit him first, taking him completely off guard.

The damage that he had sustained since then was substantial – and his body had not begun healing yet.

That in itself was odd.

To make matters even worse, he had not even managed to land a hit on the bastard either.

The chances of that happening had significantly decreased since Kakuzu had broken his scythe in half with a singe well placed blow.

Panting hard, Hidan glared at his oppenent.

The miser's flat eyes did not register recognition, instead staring through him.

Ignoring the pain racing through his jaw, Hidan lashed out.

"Are you going to say anything? A single fucking word?" he roared, growing tired of the complete lack of reaction from his partner.

Apparently not.

This was wrong. It was not how it was supposed to play out.

Kakuzu gave no indication that he had heard, let alone whether or not he had understood, his masked face blank.

That was not the norm.

Usually Kakuzu would berate him, accusing him of being arrogant, foolish and all round pathetic while taking his body apart.

Instead he simply raised his a hand and struck Hidan across the face.

Blood sprayed from the immortals mouth, the droplets running down the wall, staining the formerly white surface a dull shade of red.

Finally Hidan remembered one of the vital things he had forgotten.

When it came to Kakuzu, white + blood = suicide.

"Oi. Don't you care that you are going to have to pay to get that cleaned? It will take a fucking age to get off." drawled the zealot, gesturing towards the walls.

Although his body was aching, he still got a perverted satisfaction out of irritating his partner.

Kakuzu said nothing.

To prove his point, Hidan spat his own blood at the walls, changing them from slightly bloodied, to dripping.

The miser did not rise to the bait.

This lack of reaction to the blood on the wall was not the only thing that was not normal, in any sense of the word.

First there was the issue of the pain. It was too raw and was missing the euphoric sensation that usually accompanied it.

Jashin had deigned that he sacrifice, using his body as a vessel.

But his body registered pain differently now – or at least it was supposed to.

It was also supposed to heal up, giving him the opportunity to sacrifice more frequently, rather than have long pauses between kills as he recovered.

Secondly, Kakuzu was not using anything aside from his enhanced fists, coupled with the occasional kick.

Usually the tendrils that held together the miser's frame made an appearance, piercing and immobilizing his flesh.

Although he was fast, Hidan was usually faster – which he worked to his advantage.

This time around however, the prick had moved so fast that the immortal could barely register the movement.

It was too fast, and too emotionless.

When his partner was angry, he let him know it, raging at him as he violently tore him apart.

Hidan usually laughed as he did it, infuriating him further.

This was not Kakuzu.

Even though he knew it was not his partner, there was one vital question that he needed to answer.

If this was not Kakuzu, who was it?

* * *

[EndChapterEleven]


	12. Disillusioned

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards

Chapter Twelve: Disillusioned

"Who are you?" spat Hidan, glaring up at his opponent from his position on the floor.

The imposter gave no indication that he had heard.

"I asked you a question." hissed the zealot as he wiped the blood from his mouth, and flicking it to the ground.

"Who the fuck are you?" he asked again, his voice rising.

As he expected, his opponent said nothing, instead glared at him impassively, twisting Kakuzu's features into an expression of contempt.

Swaying to his feet, the immortal grinned maniacally.

"You wanna play that way, fine." he smirked, re-energized by the fact that this was not his partner some dickhead in what seemed to be a Kakuzu bodysuit.

Yet again, no response came.

If there was one thing that pissed Hidan off more than anything in a fight, it was being ignored.

That simply would not do.

More often than not, he came out with some pretty awesome, albeit vulgar insults, which he was naturally quite proud of.

The fact that these veritable gems were being lost on his opponent really got under his skin.

This coupled with the fact that he was getting his arse handed to him by someone wearing his partner as a costume was what forced Hidan to adapt.

Hidan needed to remember that this was not Kakuzu. It just looked like him.

With a sigh, Hidan rocked forward, behaving as though he were about to collapse from the arduous exertion of energy that this fight had forced him to spend.

Naturally this was not the case.

The immortal's energy reserves had barely been tested, let alone drained.

Hidan just wanted to gauge how his opponent would react. Had it been Kakuzu, the threads that held the miser's body together would have pierced his body before he could say 'Jashin'.

As expected, the imposter did nothing.

The zealot on the other hand grinned. Hidan had a brilliant idea.

They may not have come often, but when they did, they were pretty damn good.

The fact that his partner, or more accurately his partner's body had not attacked meant that his opponent was limited to short range attacks.

"You're a dick." he chuckled, before turning away from him, crossing his arms in front of his chest, sulking.

Two could play the childish ignoring game.

The immortal turned and began to walk away, waiting for the imposter to fall into his carefully considered trap.

As expected, he did.

Hidan heard the telltale rustle of his opponent's cloak and smirked.

Bingo.

Turning on his heel he turned to face the fake Kakuzu, catching his fist squarely in the palm of his hand.

A short-range attack was just what he expected.

Although his opponent may have had the super strengthened fists of doom, the immortal had something better.

Pure stubbornness.

That, coupled with ridiculously high stamina allowed him to use trial and error to probe his opponents strengths and weaknesses and find an opening.

Hidan expected to rock back from the impact of the strike - but nothing happened.

It felt wrong.

Tightening his grip on the fist, he felt it shift and disappear through his fingertips.

"An illusion..." breathed Hidan.

At last it clicked. This had all been an illusion, and the Uchiha was responsible for it.

Hidan hadn't even noticed that the Uchiha had disappeared. He was too caught up in his own guilt and self-loathing to notice.

The immortal had left himself wide open, and he had paid the price.

In the past he knew that he would have realised immediately, but his though processes were erratic and unpredictable at best these days.

…and deep down, he didn't want to hurt Kakuzu anymore.

Shaking his head, Hidan chuckled to himself in a crazed sort of manner, laughing hysterically at his own idiocy.

It all made perfect sense now.

The heightened pain, the lack of healing and the fake Kakuzu were all justified by the fact that he was caught in an illusion.

Now to break it, and make the person responsible pay, in large amounts of blood and suffering.

This was usually regarded as the hard part. What was a problem for some, however, was child's play to a masochist like Hidan.

The zealot's laughter died away, only to be replaced with a maniacal grin.

Pain broke an illusion, and the immortal was no stranger to the feeling of cold steel penetrating his skin.

Reaching into the torn remnants of his cloak, he drew out his spear.

"Suck on this, dickhead." he grinned, delighting in the strangled look on his opponents face as realization dawned - seconds before he drove the spear deep into his abdomen.

Blood spurted from the wound, staining the floor. Hidan grinned as the familiar ecstasy set in.

He had broken the illusion, but at a price.

Overwhelming exhaustion washed over him, and the wound in his abdomen was deeper than he had intended it to be.

Sometimes he just didn't know his own strength.

The zealot straightened, locking his eyes on that of his stunned opponent.

Uchiha Itachi's illusions usually left his victims unconscious, occasionally even dead. The fact that Hidan was still standing seemed to throw him off guard.

"You bastard." seethed Hidan, taking a shaky step towards the Uchiha, panting hard. "I'll kill you." he spat, tearing the spear from his wound and levelling it at the illusionist.

Before he could however, a sharp blow hit the back of his head, and he collapsed, unconscious.

* * *

[EndChapterTwelve]


	13. Incubus

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards

Chapter Thirteen: Incubus

It was pitch black.

Darkness swirled around him, pulsing like a sentient being.

Hidan reached out, but could barely see his own hand in front of his face.

The immortal tried to open his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. His lips had been sewn together.

Clutching his face, Hidan pulled at the strands.

The stitches refused to move, instead digging deeper into his lips.

Warm blood slicked his fingers and his face, and he could taste it on the tip of his tongue.

The taste of his own blood repulsed him.

It oozed from his sealed lips, but he could feel it running down his cheeks too.

Horror filled him as realization dawned.

Reaching up to his eyes, his fingers felt empty sockets. He had no eyes.

An earth-shattering scream tore from his lips, tearing the flesh around his mouth as he pulled through the stitches.

Hidan fell to his knees, shock seeping through him.

All at once, the ground was ripped out from under him and he fell down into the darkness.

Now, the world was grey.

"Do you think he will be alright?" came a far away voice, worry clearly evident.

After a moment, Hidan thought he heard a sigh. "I don't know…" replied another voice, this one deeper than the first.

"Though, if he doesn't pull through, I will kill him." it said.

The zealot realized that he knew this voice from somewhere, but where? It sounded like something that he would have said.

"Why would he hide something like this?" said the first voice, incredulity colouring their tone.

"I don't know…" repeated the second voice. "I can't believe I didn't notice…" it said.

Hidan didn't know what the voices were talking about, but he knew that he knew them from somewhere.

It was just that he couldn't get his head to work properly.

"None of us saw it." said the first voice, which Hidan recognized as female.

"I should have seen it." said the second, "I'm his partner, I'm supposed to notice these things."

The first voice must have been Konan, and that meant that the second had to be …Kakuzu.

Hidan tried to speak, but once again no words came out.

The grey faded to black.

The immortal found himself in a steel room.

For once the world wasn't in monochrome, though what he saw wasn't much better.

An assortment of cogs and wheels ground against each other, each component soaked with blood.

Deafening sound filled the room, the cogs clicking and scratching against each other.

The wall showed various lines, stains, where the blood must have reached as it filled the room.

The markers were unsettling.

The lower stains were the clearer ones, showing that less and less blood was running through.

It seemed as though the blood was draining, and Hidan instinctively knew that this was not a good thing.

Hidan saw that some of the cogs were worn and old, each a different size and shape.

A large black cog dominated the rest, but it was immobile. On closer inspection, Hidan saw that the insignia of Jashin was emblazoned on it.

This must be his brain, thought Hidan.

How could he be standing in his brain?

The idea of thinking while in his brain was absurd, and made the cogs squeal louder as they tried to figure out what on Earth he was thinking of.

Nonetheless, he awarded himself points for style for having a steel room as his brain.

'Why wasn't the large black cog moving?' he thought to himself, ignoring the fact that you can't really think while in your brain.

Hidan stepped closer and saw that a large black blob had formed on the bottom of the cog and was holding it in place.

'That's weird…' he thought.

The immortal kicked out his foot colliding with the blob.

It was as hard as steel, rather than gelatinous as he had originally thought.

Hidan took his spear from his now intact cloak, and poked at the blob. The tip of the spear slid in easily.

With a sharp tug, the zealot dislodged it from beneath the large cog.

The large black cog started moving again, activating the cogs that had ground halt, increasing the speed of the surrounding cogs.

Blood rapidly filled his brain, splashing up against the steel walls and wrapping itself around the cogs.

It took a moment for Hidan to realize that there was no way out.

The room swam with red, and soon the immortal was submerged in the thick liquid.

Once again his world faded to black, and the sound of his heartbeat slowing down was all he hear, until it too…

…stopped.

* * *

[EndChapterThirteen]


	14. Conscious

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards

Chapter Fourteen: Conscious

This world was white.

A small groan issued from the immortal's lips as he slowly returned to reality.

Opening his eyes, Hidan gazed up at the white ceiling, his ears ringing and his blood pounding in his ears.

The zealot thought he felt hand leave his, but Hidan found he was too tired to pursue it further than just noticing it.

It may not have happened at all.

Hidan felt like his head contained nothing but bubble wrap. Everything was unclear and slow to process and register.

All he wanted to do was go back to sleep.

"So you're awake, then." came an all too familiar voice.

"Kakuzu?" exclaimed Hidan, attempting to sit up. Attempting being the operative word.

The immortal could barely move.

For some reason he really, really wanted to see his partner, he just couldn't remember why.

The fact that his movement was impeded was a definite issue.

"What the fuck…?" he groaned blearily, glaring up at the ceiling. "What is wrong with me?"

The zealot heard his partner chuckle.

With more effort than he ever thought necessary, Hidan strained to turn his head in the direction of his partner.

"You're not supposed to move!" exclaimed the miser, his eyes narrowing in anger.

Hidan sunk back into the pillow, a smile playing on his lips.

"I'm back to doing what I was good at. Pissing you off seems to be my forte." croaked Hidan, his cracked lips struggling to form the words.

A weary smile broke on his partner's lips. It was at this moment that Hidan noticed that Kakuzu was not wearing his regular guise.

"Where your face thingy?" wheezed the silver haired immortal, his face a mask of utter confusion.

Kakuzu tried to stifle a grin.

"Is that really all you can think of right now?" he asked, his eyes shining with relief.

"No." retorted the young zealot petulantly.

Kakuzu struggled to contain his amusement. Sometimes Hidan could be such an idiot. Perhaps an endearing idiot, but an idiot nonetheless.

"So, why?" pressed the younger immortal again.

The miser smirked down at his partner. "I suppose I'm just… not." he said simply.

'What a lame response…' thought Kakuzu. Hidan would never go for it.

To his surprise, the zealot lapped it up.

"Okay." replied the Jashinist, a satisfied grin on his face.

Ordinarily Hidan would have pressed him for an answer, but it seemed as though the zealot was currently in less than peak annoying condition.

Not that he could blame him.

Hidan wasn't meant to survive the Uchiha's onslaught.

That kind of mental attack destroyed all but the most powerful minds. Hidan was not among their number, especially given his current mental condition.

Somehow he was still standing afterwards.

The miser suspected that it was simply his unwillingness to die easily.

Kakuzu had left the room that they shared; ready to give his partner a sound beating for waking him up with his angry tirade at the Uchiha.

The miser left the room to find Hidan dripping in blood, his own spear sticking out of his abdomen.

"I'll kill you." said the zealot, his voice filled with anger, but beneath that Kakuzu could detect utter exhaustion.

Hidan tore his own spear from his abdomen, leveling it at the Uchiha.

The Uchiha in question looked terrified.

Kakuzu swiftly knocked him out before he could do anymore damage.

Hidan's tired face broke into a spontaneous smile, interrupting Kakuzu's reminiscing.

"I'm so happy to see you…" he breathed, before he closed his eyes again.

Within moments he was asleep.

Kakuzu wasn't sure if Hidan knew what he was saying, much less if he would remember it.

The miser sighed.

Hidan would never know how much he had worried for him, at least if Kakuzu had anything to do with it.

* * *

[EndChapterFourteen]


	15. Affection

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters in Naruto. I just manipulate them like my own personal voodoo dolls.

* * *

Shards

Chapter Fifteen: Affection

Hidan woke up, this time alone.

Sitting up, the immortal scratched his head.

Man, he was hungry.

Tilting his head from side to side he grinned when it gave a satisfying crack.

Looking over to where his partner had sat earlier, he noted that the chair was empty.

It seemed as though the miser had retired for the night.

At least, Hidan assumed that it was the evening.

Why else wouldn't Kakuzu be here?

There were no valid reasons as to why he would not be here unless it was the evening and he, the fucking pussy, had gone to bed.

Either way, it was time for a midnight snack.

If it were indeed evening, which he was assuming because a. it was dark and b. the usual noises of activity in the organisation such as explosions, clunking puppets and cursing were absent, it meant all but Zetsu would be asleep.

Zetsu never slept, so it wasn't too much of a big deal.

That meant no one would bother him if he nipped out for a quick bite to eat.

Hidan hadn't eaten in forever. He didn't even know how long he had actually been out cold for.

The immortal pulled back the sheets and quietly maneuvered out of the bed.

It was harder than it sounded.

Hidan was still exhausted, and there were all these little wires and cords going into him, some with blood, others with this odd clear liquid.

The zealot tore them out quickly before skulking out the door towards the kitchen.

* * *

Kakuzu left the bathroom, feeling significantly relieved.

Returning to his bedside vigil, he lowered his aching body into the chair. He had been sitting there for days now.

Hidan really had done his absolute best to die.

The miser was about to give up hope when Hidan had finally opened his eyes. While weak and confused, it was still his partner.

Except for the shit that had spilled forth from his lips.

_I'm so happy to see you… _

The young zealot's words circled in his head.

It was so uncharacteristic of him, but perhaps it was a glimpse into the twisted mind of the young immortal.

Hidan had not spoken of his pain.

Kakuzu couldn't understand how he was able to hold his tongue, for him to be so mentally unstable and not to breathe a word of it.

Usually the miser wouldn't have heard the end of it.

But it seemed that Hidan's behaviour had been less that usual of late.

Why he hadn't done anything about it was still beyond him.

They all knew that the zealot was acting up, but none of them had done anything about it. If it was anyone's responsibility it was his, as Hidan's partner.

It was all so fucked up.

Glancing down to where Hidan slept Kakuzu finally realized that he was, in fact, not actually there.

One of his hearts leapt into his throat as fear constricted his lungs.

Where the hell had he gone?

A crash came from the general direction of the kitchen, followed by a curse from Hidan.

"Hidan…" he breathed his tone murderous.

This time he was actually going to kill him. First for being an annoying bastard, secondly for leaving without a word, and finally for making him worry. Again.

Kakuzu leapt to his feet, stalking out of the room.

* * *

"What do you think you are doing?" came a voice from the general direction of the door.

Kakuzu.

The zealot turned to face his partner. For some reason he didn't look all that happy. He'd also neglected to replace his face thingy.

Hidan vaguely remembered Kakuzu telling him why, but at the moment he was focused on something thoroughly more important.

Decimating all the food in the kitchen.

Hidan's face broke into a smile.

"Kakuzu!" he exclaimed, genuinely happy to see him.

Kakuzu's expression was murderous.

"You're dripping over the floor." he snarled, motioning to the blood dripping down the immortal's torso and arms.

Hidan put down the carton of orange juice and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh, yeah. I pulled out these fucking annoying wires and-"

Kakuzu cut across him.

"Those fucking annoying wires cost a fortune." he murmured, his face twisted into a mask of rage.

Hidan simply shrugged, picking up his super sandwich.

"…you also broke your plate." he added, motioning towards the floor.

"Uhm… sorry?" offered the immortal, before taking another bite of the meat sandwich that he completed moments before.

Essentially Hidan had piled any and all meat he had found between two slices of bread.

The fact that his jaw wasn't big enough to physically fit it in his mouth wasn't about to stop him.

Kakuzu stalked towards him, his face dark.

Hidan swallowed hard.

Hopefully Kakuzu wasn't still mad about that whole argument that they'd had before when he may or may not have gone way too far.

Ensuring that his sandwich was placed in a safe place i.e. the table, Hidan prepared himself for his partner's onslaught.

Closing his eyes he waited for the first blow to land.

Nothing happened.

Instead, the older shinobi wrapped his arms around the zealot and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Opening his eyes in shock, he waited for the catch.

"Don't ever do that to me again you bastard." growled Kakuzu, his voice oddly emotional.

After a few seconds of high awkwardness, he patted his partner on the back.

"Sure." he replied, somewhat creeped out. "I'm sorry about... well, what I said."

Kakuzu let go of him, his eyes narrowed.

Had he said the wrong thing? Again?

* * *

[EndChapterFifteen]


End file.
